Bill Foley’s Build Your Own Electric Guitar: Custom Guitar Assembly Made Easy is written primarily for the aspiring guitar maker interested in assembling a custom guitar from parts or from a guitar kit (such as those available from Saga).

With a straightforward approach, Build Your Own Electric Guitar does an excellent job of explaining topics such as how an electric guitar works, the choices you’ll have to make, the steps in assembly, how to set up your guitar and even basic guitar finishing. And, while I generally prefer color photographs, the numerous drawings and diagrams do a fine job of illustrating points throughout the book.

The book is also a useful introduction for guitarists who simply want to know more about how a guitar works. Although not absolutely necessary, there’s always value in knowing how your tools work and this is no less true for the guitar player. There’s also the additional benefit of becoming a more informed consumer. Like any other field, a great deal of misinformation exists and Foley’s book cuts through the noise while being easy to understand.

While not often mentioned in guitar building circles, Bill Foley’s Build Your Own Electric Guitar: Custom Guitar Assembly Made Eas is a fine contribution to the field of guitar making. As a solid introductory text, it has its place alongside more advanced guitar making books like Melvyn Hiscock’s Make Your Own Electric Guitar.